80 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 15 



der its old and real name. Aye, there is 

 whfre tbie shoe pinches. They wish to get a 

 ruling in favor of "corn syrup" because, 

 apparently, that would carry the impression 

 that corn syrup is a new high-class food 

 product made from the juices of the corn- 

 stalk after the manner that sorghum syrup 

 is made. 



Glucose has earned for itself an unsavory 

 reputation; it has a metallic, disagreeable 

 taste— an article that will not sell if the pub- 

 lic knows what it is getting. Apparently the 

 glucose people understand this only too well, 

 and, of course, looking to their own interests 

 they do not propose to allow the decision of 

 the pure-food commission to stanti; there- 

 fore they have appealed to President Roose- 

 velt and to Secretary Wilson, of the De- 

 partment of Agricultuie. asking for a stay of 

 proceedings, during which they can present 

 various arguments to the pi.blic and cause it 

 to believe that corn syrup is the real name 

 for a product made by treating any kind of 

 starch* with sulphuric or hydrochloric acid. 



Dr. Wiley and his associaties have stood for 

 pure food, and have all along been strenuous 

 in insisting that all food stuffs be so labeled 

 as to convey no deception. The general pub- 

 lic does not know that corn syrup, so called, 

 is glucose; and to allow this change of name 

 would be the grossest kind of deception — a 

 thing that would be entirely out of harmony 

 with the provisions of the national pure-food 

 lawunder which Dr. Wiley and his associates 

 are working. 



The glucose interests are alarmed, and 

 they have good reason to be; for neither 

 President Rooievelt nor Secretary Wilson 

 has intimated that either one of them pro- 

 poses to reverse the decision of their subor- 

 dinates. They have simply signified their 

 willingness to hear argument pro and con; 

 and therefore it means that, unless bee-keep- 

 ers and all producers of honest pure cane 

 syrups and sugars register a mighty protest, 

 at once, against making any change, there is 

 danger that the decision of the pure-food 

 commissioners may be reversed. 



We are sure that the President, provided 

 the full facts are put before him, will rule in 

 the interests of the people and not in favor 

 of private corporations and small retailers 

 whose opinions would be biased by the prof- 

 its arising from the sale of so-called corn 

 syrups. 



We urge every bee-keeper, as soon as he 

 reads this, to write immediately a concise 

 letter to Dr. Harvey W. Wiley, of the De- 

 partment of Agricultvire, Washington, D. C, 

 commending the course he and his associates 

 have taken in ruling against the use of the 

 words "corn syrup" for a product known 

 as glucose. A short but expressive letter 

 should be addressed to Secretary Wilson, 

 Secretary of Agriculture, and to President 

 Roosevelt, Washington, D. C. requesting both 

 to sustain the action of the Pure-food Board 

 in placing a ban on corn syrup. 



* Glucose can be made of potato starch, as it is in 

 Germany. Corn is not, therefore, an essential source 

 of glucose, and it should not be called corn syrup. 



We have nothing to fear from glucose when 

 it is called by its right name. Since the new 

 pure-food law has been in effect it can no 

 more masquerade under the name of "hon- 

 ey," "maple molasses," or New Orleans mo- 

 lasses, etc., but it must be sold for what it is. 

 It looks very much as if the glucose interests, 

 seeing that glucose will not sell under its 

 regular name, must disguise and cover it up 

 by calling it by some new name under the 

 pretense that glucose is the product of corn. 

 While that may be true in one sense ( as it may 

 also be of whisky), yet to call glucose "corn 

 syrup" is to place legitimate syrups and 

 honeys in unfair competition with glucose 

 embellished with a real nice name. 



We hope our readers will not lose a mo- 

 ment of time, but sit right down as soon as 

 they read this, and do it now. 



THE HARRISBURG NATIONAL CONVENTION; 

 THE SECOND DAY'S SESSION; THE GROWTH 

 OF THE NATIONAL BEE-KEEPEKS' ASSOCIA- 

 TION. 



General Manager France, after the ap- 

 pointment of some committees, presented 

 his general report. In making a compara- 

 tive statement of the growth of the member- 

 ship during the last two or three years he 

 said: 



In 1906 we had 410 members who paid one dollar 

 each. In 1907 we had 416 members who paid one dol- 

 lar each. In 1906 there were 825 in co-operation with 

 our Association who paid fifty cents each; whereas 

 in 1907 there were 1008 who came in at that rate. The 

 additions for 1906 alone were $821; and up to the time 

 I left home were $974 for 1907. Of those. New York 

 State has contributed by single membership 56 at one 

 dollar each; and one county association consolidated, 

 coming in, gave us 21, giving us $10.50. 



He then referred to the statistical crop re- 

 ports which he had been gathering and send- 

 ing to members. But this year he had sent out 

 no such statement because he could count on 

 his fingers all who had a crop. 



He referred to the fact that the good of- 

 fices of the National Bee-keepers' Association 

 had been used to further the interests of the 

 national pure-food bill, which has since been 

 enacted into law. He believed this to be one 

 of the grandest things the government has 

 ever done for bee-keepers. 



He had something to say about a special 

 honey-label for members of the Association, 

 which he was furnishing; and then he refer- 

 red to the fact that some member would or- 

 der only fifty labels notwithstanding it would 

 cost just as much to print fifty as five hun- 

 dred. He did not see how any one could 

 object to the outlay of a dollar for that num- 

 ber. He thought, therefore, if any one used 

 labels at all he could afford a dollar for 500 

 special Association labels. 



After some discussion we listened to an 

 exceptionally interesting paper by the gov- 

 ernment representative in charge of apicul- 

 ture. Dr. E. F. Phillips, on 



THE CARE OF EXTRACTED HONEY. 



It will be remembered that some three or 

 four years ago General Manager France col- 

 lected a large number of samples of honey 



